PRESS RELEASE

Brussels – September, 26. 09. 2016. One year after the introduction of the innovative package label for space and water heating systems, industry players, gathered in an European project covering 6 countries, consider that there is still a long way to go for the package label to reach consumers around Europe.

One year ago, on the 26 September last year, a first step was taken towards empowering consumers on their choice of their space and water heaters, with the introduction in the market of energy labelling for this type of products. The regulation also introduced the package label, which covers the different components of a heating system. It allows consumers to consider different options to compose their heating system, based on their combined performance and not only the performance of each product individually.

This innovative approach facilitates the comparison between heating systems, and highlights the advantage of opting for systems using renewable energy sources, for instance, when including in their water heating and/or space heating system solar thermal collectors.

“In order to reduce our energy bills and CO2 emissions, we need space and water heating systems that use less fossil fuels or electricity while providing the same comfort.” says Robin Welling, President of the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation - ESTIF.  He adds: “The package label is a great and easy-to-understand tool which enables consumers to make informed decisions about their new and cleaner space or water heating system.”

Although the package label is new, it is easily readable due to the usage of similar labels on everyday products, such as washing machines, refrigerators, etc. The efficiency label category ranks from G, the lowest category to A+++, the most efficient solution. Only heating systems including renewable energy sources can yield the label category of A+ or higher.

The package label is either provided by the manufacturer, the authorised dealer or the installer himself. The label already has to be present in the offer to consumers. The consumers have the right to be informed, while those providing the system to the consumer are obliged to provide such information.  

To make life easier for installers, an industry project has developed an online tool allowing them to issue a correct label. This project, LabelPack A+, funded by the EU-Commission, has been active also in training and informing installers on the package label and on the online calculation tool. In a second step it also aims at assisting public authorities and civil society organisations to inform consumers about the package label. Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and the United Kingdom are all part of this EU project. Individual information about the labelling in these countries is provided at the project website: http://www.label-pack-a-plus.eu/  

“We have developed tools and materials to facilitate the implementation of the package label on the energy efficiency of space and water heaters.”, says Pedro Dias, coordinator of the LabelPack A+ project. “In one year it became evident that most consumers in Europe lack information about the labelling for heating systems. Furthermore, a large number of installers still need to be trained and sensiblised about the use of the package label”, he concluded.